Zimbabwe postpones presidential run-off poll

DPA Harare/Johannesburg, May 15 (DPA) The Zimbabwe government has extended the period within which a run-off presidential must be held to 90 days from the announcement of the results of the first round on May 2, a government source and South African media said. A member of parliament for President Robert Mugabe’s party Wednesday told DPA the delay was to be announced in the weekly government gazette, to be published Friday.

South Africa’s state broadcaster SABC also carried the report in its evening bulletin.

Mugabe, who is seeking a sixth term as leader, placed second in the first round of voting March 29 to opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai took 47.9 percent of the vote to Mugabe’s 43.2 percent in the official tally - below the 50-percent-plus required for an outright win.

Under Zimbabwe’s election law a run-off must be held within 21 days of the election results.

The MDC says 32 of its members have been killed by Mugabe supporters since the March elections. DPA